


Darkness

by KatieKatherine



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Torture, mature to be on the safe side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 19:41:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13325121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieKatherine/pseuds/KatieKatherine
Summary: Merlin is captured by the Sarrum of Amata. He's now prisoners with Morgana who thinks she been tortured for years when it's only been months. Will they survive or be driven mad?





	1. Chapter 1

**_ Darkness _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. Here is the new Mergana story that I have promised. Please continue to vote in my mergana poll. I want to write them till I have no more prompts.**

Merlin was outside collecting herbs when he something felt very strange. He looked around.

"Hello, who's there?" Merlin asked. Then he fell to the ground and groaned painfully. He felt something tuck on his magic. Then he saw the face of a man that made him want to run to the ends of the earth.

"SO, you are a freak. Wait till the king hears about this." The Sarrum of Amata hissed.

"He will forgive me."

The next thing Merlin knew, he woke up inside a pit. It was very deep and small and dirty. Rain poured into the pit and filled it. Merlin saw that he was chained to the wall. He could see a figure on the other side of the pit.

"Hello, do you know where we are?" Merlin asked.

"In a place much worse than hell." The woman mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"What I said. What the sarrum will do to us will make us wish we were never born."

The woman looked at Merlin.

"Morgana." Merlin gasped.

"How nice of you to remember. Since it's been years since I was trapped here." Morgana hissed.

"What? It's hasn't even been 6 months since you attacked Camelot."

"What? It's been nearly 5 years. You're lying."

"He captured you after you fled Camelot so you could have only been here for 6 months."

"I don't believe you."

"What sounds better six months or five years?"

"Neither."

"Is he that bad?"

Morgana showed Merlin her back. Merlin could see thousands of scars. It looked like she had been tortured for years.

"You're right. Neither sound good. Are you cold?" Merlin said.

"Like you really care." Morgana mumbled.

"Maybe I care more than you realize."

"After you poisoned me, I've never believed a word that comes from your mouth."

"I'm sorry. I understand. I asked for it."

Then they heard the grate open. They looked up and saw a few men looking down at them.

"Time to have fun." One man hissed. The two were carried up to the surface. They were dragged over to the center of camp. They saw the sarrum standing under a tent.

"Break his legs."The sarrum ordered. The men went over and broke Merlin's legs. Merlin tried to fight but cried out painfully as his legs were broke."Now, stand up."

"I can't. My legs are broken." Merlin panted painfully. The sarrum kicked Merlin in the ribs. Merlin groaned.

"Get up."

Merlin used every little energy he had and stood up. The sarrum laughed when Merlin was on his feet. He grabbed a whip and whipped Merlin where his legs had been broken. Merlin cried and fell to the ground. The sarrum kneeled in front of Merlin.

"Where's your magic now?" The sarrum hissed. Merlin realized that he couldn't feel his magic.

"No." Merlin gasped.

"You will pay for your crimes. Take them to poles."

The two were taken to the poles and tied up.

"39 or 40." A man asked.

"39 and then we see how they react. With this downpour everything will be different." The sarrum replied. Merlin and Morgana were whipped 39 times. When it was over, both were almost dead. Merlin was almost unconscious. "Give them a few more and then wake them up and take them to the torture chambers."

The sarrum left. The two were whipped a few more times before they were taken away. When they got to the shack. Merlin saw what they were going to do.

"Leave her alone. Hurt me but spare her."Merlin said.

"Why should I?" The sarrum asked.

"I'm much more powerful. I'm Emrys."

"Let her watch as we destroy her redeemer."

They threw Morgana into the corner and chained Merlin to the ceiling. He cried out in pain as all of his wounds got worse. The sarrum grabbed a knife and made a deep cut down both of Merlin's arms. From the wrist to his shoulder. Merlin gasped but didn't scream. Then he cut Merlin's legs. From his hip to his ankle. Merlin whimpered.

"Most scream when I do this. You must be very touch but I will break you before you can cry out for your little king to save you." The sarrum hissed. "Have the men come and have their fun with him but they are not to harm her. We'll wait till after he is near death. Each will have half an hour."

"Yes, sir."The man replied. The men gathered outside the by one, they each had their turn with Merlin. Some would rape him, some would torture. Some did much worse. When they were done, it felt like weeks to Merlin and Morgana. When the sarrum came back in, he saw that Merlin was on the ground covered in blood and wounds. He smiled.

"Looks like they had fun." the sarrum laughed.

"It sure didn't feel like it. You think they could have done a better job of breaking me. I bet you couldn't even break me in one shot." Merlin retorted.

"We'll just have to see about that."

For the next several hours, the sarrum did all he could to break Merlin. Merlin didn't cry out in pain or react. He just kept laughing and mocking. Then the sarrum broke Merlin's arms and dislocated most of his joints. Merlin gasped but continued to laugh.

"See even you can't break me." Merlin mocked.

"Gideon." Sarrum said. Gideon came in.

"Sir?"

"Let the men have their turn with both of them. They are to torture the for an hour and be very hard on the two. I want to see him broken."

"Yes, sir."

The sarrum left.

"Why did you do that? Now, they will break you." Morgana warned.

"If I die at least I die strong." Merlin mumbled.

"You won't die. They won't let you."

"I'm good at disobeying orders."

For the next many hours, they endured a lot of torture and pain. When it was over, Merlin still wasn't broken.

"What should we do?" Gideon asked.

"Take them to their cell. We'll break him after he's weakened from illness." The sarrum sighed. Merlin and Morgana were thrown down the pit and chained by their ankles to the center of the floor. Merlin laid in the puddle of water and tried to sleep. Morgana tried to move his head.

"What are you doing?" Merlin moaned.

"You'll get worse if you stay in this puddle." Morgana answered.

"Nice to see that you care."

"I don't."

When Morgana had finished helping Merlin get comfortable, she sat across the hole.

"Were you ever going to tell me about your magic?" Morgana asked.

"I wanted to but..." Merlin answered.

"But you realized that you wanted nothing to do with me?"

"No. I listened to a cryptic dragon and a worried old man because I listened to them, our lives are falling apart."

"Why did you poison me?"

"I didn't want to but Morgause turned you into a vessel. I didn't want to hurt you but the only way to stop the curse was to kill you. "

"She said she didn't use that curse. When I asked what she did, she said it was just a simple curse. She said that she would never use me as a vessel."

"I thought you said you would never believe a word I say."

"Shut up and answer my questions. How long have you had magic?"

"Since birth." Merlin sighed.

"That's impossible." Morgana scoffed.

"Not impossible. Just rare. Now, if you are done, I'm exhausted. So I'm going to get some sleep."

Merlin went to sleep. A few hours later, he woke to Morgana moving closer to him.

"What are you doing?" Merlin mumbled.

"It's cold and you're shivering." Morgana replied.

"Didn't know you cared."

"You are just a jerk."

Morgana curled up against Merlin and wrapped her arms around Merlin. Merlin pulled her close.

"This feels good." Merlin moaned.

"Just shut up and go to sleep." Morgana rasped.

"Yes, ma'am."

Merlin woke several hours later and saw Morgana shivering in his arms. It was raining again. He pulled Morgana close. Morgana groaned and opened her eyes. When she saw Merlin, she remembered what had happened.

"They'll be coming soon." Morgana whispered. Merlin had a bad coughing fit. "You're getting worse. You can't let them know that you are ill. They will do much worse than yesterday."

"I don't anything can be worse than the past month." Merlin moaned.

"It hasn't been a month."

"Yes, it has."

The guards came and took Morgana and Merlin. Merlin took most of the beating. For the next several days, they were beaten and tortured heavily. Merlin used every little energy he had to protect Morgana. They went in the shed beating whipped. The man was aiming at Morgana.

"No. Leave her alone." Merlin exclaimed and he ran to cover her. He wrapped her arms around her and hid her from their attacker.

"You will pay." The man hissed.

"And it's a price that I will gladly pay."

"No, Merlin. You can't." Morgana whispered.

"I will everything I can to show you what you what you mean to me. I love you." Merlin whispered.

"You can't love me."

"Why?"

"You'll die."

"I'll die anyways. At least I'll die knowing that I've told you the truth."

"Merlin, I..."

Then Merlin was grabbed and chained.

"I know." Merlin panted. Morgana watched as the man tortured Merlin. He pulled out a metal pole and put it in the fire. When it was almost melting, he pulled it out and hit Merlin with it. Merlin tried not to scream but couldn't stop himself. Morgana closed her eyes when she heard Merlin scream. When the an pulled the pole away, Merlin started coughing. The man put the pole back into the fire. Then the sarrum came in.

"I have never heard him scream like that and when I heard it, it was like music. Keep going." The sarrum laughed.

"Yes, sir." The man answered. The man did it again. Merlin screamed painfully. After going through this for three hours, Merlin finally passed out.

"You were the last one. Get the two to their cell."

The man nodded. The two were taken to the pit. When they were alone, Morgana took Merlin's ruined shirt and cleaned up Merlin's wounds. A guard came down with some stuff.

"Do not let it be known that it was I who gave you this stuff. There's some food, water, and a blanket. Best keep it hidden." The man said.

"Thank you." Morgana answered.

"It was his screams. Reminded me of when I watched my family die."

The man left. Morgana took the blanket and covered Merlin. She waited for Merlin to wake. She laid down next to him and cried in his shoulder. A few hours later, Merlin moaned and woke up. Morgana sat up and looked at him.

"Don't try to move a whole lot. You're very weak." Morgana said.

"The blanket?" Merlin rasped.

"A also brought food and water. You should have some."

The two took a sip of water and took a bite of bread. Merlin sat up and looked around. He dug his fingers into the wall.

"The brick is coming apart. We can make a place to store our food and water and blankets." Merlin said. He started getting work with Morganna's help. When it was done, they put their food in it and put the bricks back. Merlin pulled Morgana close and covered them up with the blanket.

"Merlin, I..." Morgana whispered but was stopped by Merlin.

"I know."

"Let me say it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I know. I forgave you a long time ago."

Morgana cried and Merlin hugged her close. When she had calmed down, she looked at Merlin.

"I love you. I love you so much." Morgana whispered.

"I know. I love you with all my heart." Merlin replied. The two kissed. When they pulled away, Merlin looked at Morgana's clothes. "You know those clothes are doing nothing to keep you warm or covered?"

"I know."

"I know this is stupid but I have hope that we'll get out of here. I want to start a family."

"Then let's start."

The next day, they woke up and got dressed. They hid the blanket and took a bite of the bread and a sip of the water. They didn't know the pain they would face.

TBC

 


	2. Chapter 2

**_ Darkness pt.2 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO HAS LIKED OR FOLLOWED THIS STORY. IT MEANS A LOT. If you like this story and you are on fanfiction.net, please vote in my mergana poll. I still have several stories I want to write. Right now, I have a tie between The Kindness of Strangers and A Servant of Two Masters. By the end of this story, I want to be able to write one of the eight stories. So please please please, go check out my poll.**

Merlin and Morgana were taken to the torture chamber. What they saw scared them more than anything. The Sarrum smiled when he was the fear in their eyes.

“I see you know our new friend.” The Sarrum said. “This isn’t a serket but it is a very close cousin to the serkets. Their sting isn’t deadly but it is very painful. Most end up taking their life after 30 seconds of pain from this creature. Sadly, we will not let you have the pleasure of dying.”

Then he nodded. A guard opened the cage with the 3 feet “serket” in it. Merlin and Morgana tried to get away but soon Merlin cried in pain as he felt the creature sting him. The men laughed as Merlin fell to ground and screamed as loud as he could.

“Please, leave him alone. Please, save him. We’ll do anything you ask.” Morgana begged.

“I thought you hated him. What changed?” The Sarrum mocked. He walked up to Morgana. Morgana turned away. The Sarrum laughed. “You love him. You fell in love with your destiny and doom.”

Merlin looked up at Morgana and she looked down at him. They knew what was going to happen.

“Leave her alone. Let her watch as her love suffers pure agony.” The Sarrum ordered. Morgana was thrown into the corner. The creature stung Merlin again. Merlin screamed as loud as he could. He curled up into a ball and screamed. After a couple of minutes the venom went away leaving Merlin in tears sobbing. Morgana moved to help him but was pushed away. “No, you will watch him suffer alone.”

The Sarrum nodded and the creature stung Merlin several times. Merlin screamed till he couldn’t anymore. After that he just sobbed and suffered. When it was finally over, Merlin relaxed and looked over at Morgana.

“Now, he will watch you suffer.” The Sarrum said.

“No, leave her alone.” Merlin weakly croaked. Merlin was thrown into a corner and Morgana was thrown into the center of the floor.

“Let the torture begin.”

Merlin fought and tried to get to Morgana but it failed. The creature went to Morgana and stung her. Morgana screamed painfully and curled up in a ball.

“No, let her go. Please, leave her alone. Do whatever you want with me but please just let her go.” Merlin begged. The Sarrum laughed. When the pain was over, Merlin ran to Morgana and pulled her into a hug. The two cried.

“Take the witch back to the hole. We’ll make her lover scream so loud that she can hear him as though he was right in front of her.” The Sarrum said. Morgana looked at Merlin.

“I’ll be alright. Trust me. I can handle it.”

“If you die, I will kill myself and come and kill you.”

“I won’t.”

Then Morgana was taken away. When she was chained in the pit, she started to cry.

“Let’s make this happen.” The Sarrum ordered. The creature stung Merlin several times. Merlin screamed as loud as he could. Morgana could hear him in the pit. When she heard him, she sobbed. A little more than an hour later, Merlin had  stopped screaming. His throat was very sore and damaged from screaming. He sat up against the wall. Sweat covering his face as he struggled to stay awake. Through blurry eyes, he could see the Sarrum opening all of his wounds but Merlin couldn’t feel a thing. His body became numb and he knew that he was near death. When the Sarrum was done, he stood up and looked at Merlin. “Take him to the pit. He won’t break today.”

Merlin was taken to the pit. When the guards were gone, Morgana ran to Merlin.

“Merlin, stay with me. Stay awake.” Morgana cried as she looked at Merlin’s face. Merlin looked at her and smiled.

“Morgana, I feel so good right now.” Merlin croaked.

“You’re numb, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I like this feeling.”

“I know but it won’t stay this way.”

“Why? Why does it have to stop?”

“Because it can kill you. I can’t have you dying on me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now, try to rest while I get our food and water. You’re starting to act drunk.”

“Wish I was.”

Morgana kissed Merlin and he kissed back. Morgana got their stuff out and helped Merlin drink a sip of the water and take a bite of the bread. When they were done eating, they curled up against each other and fell asleep. 5 months later, Morgana woke up to something inside her kicking. She gasped as it happened again. She shook Merlin who woke up.

“What? What is it?” Merlin moaned.

“I’m pregnant.” Morgana gasped.

“You’re pregnant?”

“Yes.”

Merlin put his hand on Morgana’s womb and chuckled tearfully as he felt the baby kick.

“Our baby.” Merlin gasped.

“What will we do? If they find out…” Morgana panicked.

“They won’t. They haven’t so far and it should be obvious that you’re pregnant but it’s not.”

“But what if we have the baby?”

“I can make a room. Big enough for at least you and the baby.”

“But what about air? How will we breathe?”

“I can take care of that. I’ll start now.”

“No, you’re weak from the torture.”

“If I don’t start now, it’ll never get done.”

Morgana nodded and Merlin went to work building a tunnel in the side of the pit. For the next month, Merlin would work whenever they were in the pit despite being extremely weak.

“Finished. Get in and tell me if there’s enough room.” Merlin said. Morgana did as she was told. When she got in, she sat up and looked around.

“It’s big enough but will you be able to fit?” Morgana asked.

“I’m not suppose to be able to fit in here.”

“But if something happens, this baby needs both parents.”

Merlin sighed and crawled in.

“It’s just barely big enough. I’ll make it a little bigger.”

A few hours later, it was big enough for them and the baby. Merlin laid down and groaned.

“My hands are so sore.” Merlin sighed. Morgana took one of his hands and rubbed his torn and raw fingers.

“You should have been more careful.” Morgana answered.

“It had to be done.”

“I know but I’m not due for a few months.”

“But with us being tortured, it could happen anytime.”

“I guess. We should get some sleep.”

Then their friend David came down.

“Have you finished the ventilation?” Merlin asked.

“Just finished. Here’s your food.” David answered.

“Thanks.”

“What will you do when she’s close to having the baby?”

“Everything I can to protect them.”

David handed them the food and water and left. A few weeks later, Morgana and Merlin were being tortured. The creature had stung both of them and they were screaming painfully. Merlin was almost covered in blood. Morgana was very weak from pain and blood lose.

“Let the two rest. We’ll give them a week. They’re no use to us like this.” The Sarrum said. “Don’t bother chaining them anymore. They won’t escape.”

Merlin and Morgana were taken to the pit. When they were alone, Morgana gasped painfully.

“Merlin, can you hold me?” Morgana panted.

“Sure.” Merlin moaned. He sat behind Morgana and pulled Morgana to his chest. They tried to rest for a bit but Morgana cried out in pain.

“Merlin, it’s time.”

Merlin quickly grabbed what he needed and helped Morgana.

“Are you sure?” Merlin asked.

“Yes. The contractions are close together.” Morgana panted. Then she cried out in pain. Merlin did what he could for her. After several hours of pain and sweat, Morgana finally gave birth to the baby. Merlin cried happily as the baby started crying in his arms. He wrapped the baby up and laid down next to Morgana.

“A girl. We have a baby girl.”

“She’s so beautiful.”

Morgana took the girl and held her. Merlin sat behind Morgana and pulled her close. He kissed Morgana’s head and rubbed the baby’s forehead. The baby had stopped crying and was now sleeping.

“Joy. She’s our little piece of joy.” Morgana said.

“Then that’s what we’ll name her. Our little Joy Vivienne.” Merlin answered.

“After my mother.”

They spent the next several hours resting and taking care of Joy. The next morning, Merlin woke up and saw that Morgana was feeding Joy.

“I want another.” Morgana said.

“Ok.” Merlin whispered. He kissed Morgana’s forehead ad then Joy’s. Joy cried out quietly. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“She is so tiny.”

“And cute.”

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**_ Darkness pt.3 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. I want to thank all of you again for like and following this story. Please remember to vote in my mergana poll if you are on Fanfiction.net.**

For the next week, the two cared for Joy. Joy would hardly ever cry. Merlin was holding Joy while Morgana was sleeping. Joy yawned and then made a blue orb appear in her hand. Merlin gasped and woke Morgana.

“What? Is it Joy? Is something wrong?” Morgana panicked.

“No. Look at her hand.” Merlin answered. Morgana gasped when she saw the blue orb.

“She has magic.”

“And it’s very powerful.”

“We should hide her. They’ll be here soon.”

They hid Joy in the tunnel and blocked it. Then two guards appeared and took Merlin and Morgana away. For the next 3 months, the two hid Joy and were tortured. Only David knew about Joy. One night, after they had put Joy to bed, Morgana kissed Merlin.

“I want to try again. I want another baby.” Morgana whispered.

“Are you sure?” Merlin asked.

“Yes.”

“Ok.”

So, they tried again. The next morning, Merlin woke and saw Morgana feeding Joy. He could see the sweat covering her bare skin. He sat up and kissed her neck.

“Are you feeling alright?” Merlin asked.

“I’m fine.” Morgana panted.

“Are you sure? You’re sweating.”

“I’m just hot.”

“You may have an infection.”

“Merlin, I’m fine.”

Merlin looked at Morgana and saw how exhausted she was.

“Have you been sleeping?” Merlin asked.

“A little bit. I just keep having nightmares.” Morgana replied.

“You should have woken me.”

“You were sleeping.”

“So, I love you, Morgana. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Now, promise that you’ll wake me.”

“I will.”

“Now, let me hold her while you get dressed.”

“Ok.”

Merlin held Joy while Morgana got dressed and got their food. Joy cooed and made a blue orb. Merlin grabbed her hand and kissed her forehead.

“Are you being cute?” Merlin asked. Joy cooed again. “Go to sleep, baby.”

That night, Merlin woke up to Morgana moaning. He sat up and shook her gentle.

“Morgana, wake up. Everything’s ok. You’re alive. I’m alive. Joy’s alive.” Merlin said. Morgana sat up and panted. When she saw Merlin, he pulled her into a hug and she cried. “It’s alright. We’ll survive this. We’ll get out of here someday.”

“How do you know? It’s been almost a year since you came and we’re still here.” Morgana cried.

“Arthur will find us. I know he will.”

Merlin kissed Morgana’s forehead. 4 months had past. The two were being tortured when Morgana realized that she was pregnant again. She was chained to the wall while Merlin was being whipped and beaten.

“No, let him go. Please, you’re killing him.” Morgana cried when she saw that Merlin was unconscious.

“She’s right. Take them to the pit.” The Sarrum sighed. The two were taken to the pit. When the guards were gone, Morgana tried to wake Merlin.

“Merlin, you have to wake up.”

Merlin didn’t really wake.

“Merlin, I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant.” Morgana said. Merlin opened his eyes and looked at Morgana.

“Baby? Another baby?” Merlin mumbled.

“Yes, another baby. Now, stay awake.”

Merlin nodded as he watched Morgana open the tunnel. Joy was sitting up against the folded blankets. Morgana smiled and picked her up.

“Daddy wants to see you, sweetie.” Morgana whispered. She handed Joy to Merlin. Merlin held Joy who curled up against Merlin. Morgana pulled out the blankets and food. She handed some bread to Merlin. Merlin took a bite and handed it to Morgana. When they were done eating, they went to sleep. Joy was awake. She pulled on Merlin’s hair causing Merlin wake up and cry out in pain.

“Joy, don’t do that.” Merlin warned.

“What happened?” Morgana moaned.

“Nothing. Joy pulled my hair. Go back to sleep.”

“Do you want me to hold her?”

“Have you fed her?”

“No.”

“She may be hungry.”

Morgana took Joy and made sure that she was fed. When they went back to sleep, Joy was still awake. She kept wiggling in Morgana’s arms.

“Joy, please go to sleep.” Morgana moaned. She laid Joy down between them. Joy cooed. Merlin rolled over to face them. He grabbed Joy’s hand.

“Grab her other hand. Then she has something to distract her.” Merlin suggested. Morgana did. Joy squeezed their hands. Soon she was asleep. The other two went sleep. 4 months later, Merlin was resting while Morgana was playing with Joy. Joy giggled happily, and Morgana laughed. Soon Joy was laughing and squealing. Merlin woke up and smiled.

“Do you want to go see daddy?” Morgana asked. Joy smiled and crawled over to Merlin. Merlin put her on his lap and played with her.

“She’s so happy.”

“Yes, she is. Thing is, she almost ate all of our bread.”

“She’s hungry.”

“Yes, she is. She drank some water as well.”

“Ok. Can you say dada?”

Joy just smiled and tried to hide.

“Dada.” Joy mumbled.

“Good girl.” Merlin cheered.

“Dada.”

“I love you.”

Joy laid down on Merlin’s chest and tried to fall asleep.

“Are you sleepy?” Merlin asked. Joy nodded. “Go to sleep, sweetie.”

Joy went to sleep. Merlin smiled at Morgana.

“Soon, we’ll have another one.” Merlin said.

“I can’t wait.” Morgana answered.

“I know.”

The two kissed. Merlin ate his breakfast. They put Joy in the tunnel. Merlin covered her up and kissed her. Joy opened her eyes and looked at Merlin.

“Go back to sleep, baby. We’ll be back soon.” Merlin whispered. “We love you.”

“Dada.” Joy answered. Merlin kissed Joy’s forehead again and then let Morgana say good bye. When they blocked the tunnel. The guards came in and took them away. Merlin wasn’t screaming and the Sarrum as very angry.

“Scream.” He said as he whipped Merlin. Merlin stood up and looked at the Sarrum.

“No. I will not scream.” Merlin yelled.

“I was him barely alive. I want him moments away from death.”

The Sarrum left. Gideon chuckled as he faced Merlin. Then he and Merlin fought. Gideon was much stronger than Merlin and within minutes had almost broken every bone in Merlin’s body. Morgana begged him to stop but kept making Gideon angry.

“You think that hurt? I felt nothing. You’re pathetic. You can do better than this.” Merlin exclaimed.

“Merlin, stop this please.” Morgana ordered. Merlin didn’t hear. Then Gideon banged Merlin’s head against the stone wall. Merlin hissed painfully and moaned as he fell to the ground. “Merlin, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Merlin sat up only to be stabbed. Morgana and Merlin gasped.

“No.” Morgana cried. Then she felt the baby inside her kick very hard. When the blade was pulled out of Merlin, Merlin laid down and tried to stop the bleeding. Gideon pulled out a whip.

“When I’m done with you, you will wish that you were never born.” Gideon hissed.

“Like that make a difference.” Merlin scoffed. Then Gideon whipped Merlin till Merlin was covered in gashes and blood. When it was over, Morgana went to Merlin and rubbed his forehead.

“Merlin, you must stop this. Please, I need you alive. So, does Joy.” Morgana whispered very quietly.

“I can take it.”

“But for how long? Please stop.”

Merlin nodded. When the Sarrum came in, he saw Morgana holding Merlin’s hand.

“How you had fun with her?” The Sarrum asked.

“No, sir.” Gideon answered.

“No, leave her alone. Please don’t hurt her.” Merlin rasped.

“Whip her a few times.” The Sarrum ordered. Merlin was about to stop Gideon, but it was too late. Gideon whipped Morgana and the whip cut her open and Morgana started gasping and panting.

“Merlin, that was too deep.” Morgana gasped. When it was over, the two were taken to the pit. When they were alone, Merlin did what he could for Morgana. Merlin opened the tunnel and Joy crawled out. Merlin got what he needed and helped Morgana. He smiled when he saw Joy sitting next to Morgana holding her hand. Then Morgana cried out in pain.

TBC

**I know, really another kid but I love kids and I think Merlin and Morgana would have been great parents. So, here’s a question for you that I want answer to as soon as you read this chapter, if the baby is a girl should she be named HOPE, FAITH, or GRACE? If it’s a boy should he be named, ETHAN, ASA, or Timothy? Please answer as soon as possible. Fanfiction.net, please vote in my mergana poll. I still have a tie between A Servant of Two Master and The Kindness of Strangers.**


	4. Chapter 4

**_ Darkness pt.4 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. Thank you Wolfy76398 for your vote. Thank you everyone for liking and following my story.**

“Joy, your mommy is going to have your baby brother or sister, can you wipe her face with this wet cloth?” Merlin asked as he handed a wet cloth to Joy. Joy nodded and wiped  Morgana’s forehead. Merlin helped Morgana have the baby. Several hours later, Morgana gave birth to a baby girl. “It’s a girl. It’s another baby girl, Morgana.”

“Hope. Our little Hope.” Morgana panted.

“Hope Hunith.”

Merlin wrapped Hope in a blanket and handed her to Morgana. Morgana smiled at Hope. Merlin tended to Morgana. Joy saw Hope’s hand and squeezed.

“Hope.” Joy said. Merlin and Morgana smiled at each other. Merlin went to them.

“That’s right, Joy. This is your sister, Hope.” Merlin said as he sat down and put Joy on his lap.

“She’s so beautiful.” Morgana whispered. When light started shining through the grate, Merlin sighed.

“Morgana, we have to put the girls in hiding.”

“I wish we didn’t have to do this.”

“I know.”

Merlin put the girls in the tunnel. Merlin handed Hope to Joy.

“Joy, we need you to watch your sister, ok? You can have a little bread and water when you want to.” Merlin said.

“What ‘out Hope?” Joy asked.

“Your mother just finished feeding her. She feed Hope when we get back, ok?”

“Ok.”

Merlin kissed Joy’s forehead. He closed up the tunnel. He saw that Morgana was crying. He went to her and hugged her.

“I miss them already.” Morgana whispered.

“I know.” Merlin answered. The guards came and took Merlin and Morgana away. The two were taken to a field.

“I want you to build a house with these rocks.” The Sarrum said.

“Those rocks are too big for us to carry.” Merlin answered.

“Break his legs.”

A guard came and broke Merlin’s legs.

“You will do as you are told.” The Sarrum hissed. Merlin and Morgana went to work. When they were moving too slow, they were whipped. After a long day of working, they were sent back to the pit. Merlin let the girls out. He handed Hope to Morgana. Morgana fed her while Merlin grabbed the food and water. Merlin helped Morgana eat and drink. When Morgana was done, Merlin ate a piece of bread and drank some water.

“Did  you eat, Joy?” Merlin asked.

“No.” Joy answered.

“Why not?”

“Hope cry a lot.”

“She would start crying when you moved?”

“Yeah.”

“Here, start eating.” Merlin said as he handed Joy a piece of bread. Joy ate it and drank some water. When Morgana was done feeding Hope, she tried to rest. Merlin squeezed Morgana’s hand. “How do you feel?”

“Exhausted.” Morgana answered. Then Merlin started checking her over. “What are you doing?”

“Just making sure that you didn’t bleed.”

“Did I?”

“Nope.”

“Good.”

Merlin itched where the cuff was on his wrist.

“Is it just me or do these cuffs itch.” Merlin hissed.

“They do itch. It’s the metal.” Morgana answered. Joy went to Merlin and put her hand on the cuff and then pulled away quickly and gasped.

“It hurt me.” Joy said.

“It will. You have magic. This cuff stops it.” Merlin explained. Then he saw Joy yawn. “Time for you to go to bed.”

Joy got in the tunnel and laid down on her bed.

“Daddy, I ‘ant st’ry.” Joy said.

“You want to hear a story?” Merlin asked.

“Yeah.”

“Ok. Once there was a girl. She was a lot like you. When she was 10, her father died in battle and she was sent to live with a king and his son. She didn’t like the king and stood up against him several times. The king would be so angry that He would throw her in jail. Then when she found out she had magic, she tried to kill the king several times. She succeeded but it meant that she had no friends. No one wanted to be around her. Then she was taken by a bad man. He did a lot of bad things to her.”

“Mommy?”

“Yes. I am talking about your mommy. Now, go to sleep.”

Joy went to sleep. Merlin kissed her forehead and covered her up. He went to Hope and Morgana.

“Do you want to hold her or can I put her in bed?” Merlin wondered.

“I want to hold her.” Morgana replied.

“Ok.”

Merlin laid down next to Morgana.

“When I can have another baby, I want to try again.” Morgana said.

“Could we wait a bit? Let the girls grow up a little bit before we have another.” Merlin answered. “I want another but I don’t want you killing yourself being pregnant. Both girl have left you very weak…”

“Merlin, I want another.”

“Ok.”

A few months later, they tried again. The next morning, Joy woke them up.

“Daddy, Hope is awake and she won’t be quiet.” Joy whispered. Merlin sat up and put his pants on. He went to Hope and saw that she was cooing. He picked her up.

“Are you hungry?” Merlin asked. Hope cooed. Merlin smiled and handed Hope to Morgana. Morgana  fed her. Merlin made sure that Joy ate her breakfast.

“Daddy, are you sick?” Joy wondered.

“No. Why?”

Joy put her hand on Merlin’s forehead.

“You really hot.” Joy said. Merlin put his hand on his forehead.

“I most likely have an infection. I’ll be fine.” Merlin replied.

“You sure?”

“Yes. Now eat.”

Joy did as she was told. Merlin tried to cool himself off.

“Merlin, are you alright?” Morgana asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Merlin panted. That night, Morgana was feeding Hope while Merlin was trying to rest. Joy came out.

“Faith, you should be in bed.” Morgana whispered.

“I don’t feel good.” Joy mumbled. Merlin sat up and checked her over.

“She has a fever.” Merlin rasped. “Come here.”

Joy went to Merlin and laid down on him. The two went to sleep. By morning, they felt better. 6 months past. Merlin was trying to sleep when he felt something kick inside Morgana.

“Morgana, you’re pregnant.” Merlin moaned.

“I know. I’ve known for a few months.” Morgana answered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did.”

“No, you did. Did you tell me the day they had drugged me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember a thing.”

“Sorry.”

Joy came out with Hope. Hope sat in front of Merlin and grabbed his ear. Merlin groaned.

“Hope, don’t do that.” Merlin moaned as he sat up.

“Are we going to be big sisters?” Joy asked.

“Yep. Did you hear us?”

“Yeah. Hope woke me up again.”

Merlin and Morgana chuckled.

TBC

**SO this baby is going to be a boy. What should he be named Asa, Ethan, or Timothy?**


	5. Chapter 5

**_ Darkness pt.5 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. Thank you everyone for liking and following this story. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you yesiamanowl and Jo for voting on boy names. Thank you everyone on fanfiction.net for voting in my mergana poll. The Kindness of Strangers is in the lead. For those of you on AO3 who would like to vote in the mergana poll let me know or go onto fanfiction.net. My penname is the same on both websites. You will have to have an account on Fanficton.net.**

The next few months passed quickly. Merlin and Morgana were playing with the girls. David came down with food and water and a couple of dresses.

“Here, these dresses belonged to my daughters. I want you to have them.” David said as he handed them to Merlin.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you. We’ll take care of them.” Merlin answered.

“I know you will.”

“David, do you know what the Sarrum told Arthur about me?”

“He said that you were dead. He took a burned body and some burned clothes and made it look like it was you. I was the there. The queen was sobbing. Arthur tried to fight the tears, but it was obvious that he was devastated. I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. If you hadn’t help us, we would be dead. Thank you.”

“Your welcome. I only hope that you will all make it out alive.”

David left.

“Daddy, will we every escape?” Joy asked.

“Maybe soon. My magic has been getting stronger. When my magic grows, the cuff starts to dissolve. When it is done, we’ll escape.” Merlin explained.

“Yay.”

“It won’t be for a while though.”

Then Hope came over and sat on Morgana’s lap. She pointed at Morgana’s stomach.

“Baby? Is baby in there?” Hope asked.

“Yep. Baby is in there. In fact, there are two babies.” Morgana answered.

“Two babies?”

“Yep. There are two babies.”

“When did you find that out?” Merlin wondered.

“Just now. Both of them kicked.” Morgana answered.

Then next day, Merlin and Morgana were very weak, but they found strength in playing with their kids. Merlin was tickling the girls causing them to giggle and laugh. Morgana was sleeping next to them. 

“Stop it, daddy.” Joy begged. Eventually, Merlin stopped.

“Ok. Time for bed.” Merlin said.

“No.” The two girls cried.

“Ok. You can stay up just a little longer.”

Morgana woke up and panted. Merlin went to her and calmed her.

“How do you feel?” Merlin asked.

“The babies are coming.” Morgana panted.

“Ok. Joy, get the water and a towel.”

Joy did as she was told. She wet a cloth and wiped Morgana’s forehead.

“Feel better, mummy?” Joy asked.

“Yes, sweetie.” Morgana answered. Hope went to Morgana’s side. Merlin did what he could for Morgana.

“Mummy, ok?” Hope wondered.

“No, but I will be. You’ll get to see your siblings soon.”

“Really.”

“Yes.”

“Hope, can you lay out these blankets for me?” Merlin asked.

“Yeah.” Hope answered. Hope laid out the blankets and then sat next to Morgana. Within an hour, Morgana gave birth to a boy.

“It’s a boy.” Merlin exclaimed. “Ethan.”

“Ethan Balinor.” Morgana panted as she watched Merlin wrap Ethan up.

“Joy, come hold your baby brother. Hope can tend to Morgana.”

Joy went to Merlin and took Ethan. She sat down and shushed Ethan who cried. Hope took the wet cloth and wiped the sweat off of Morgana’s forehead. Several minutes later, Morgana gave birth to a girl.

“It’s a girl. We have a boy and a girl.” Merlin said.

“Faith Guinevere.” Morgana panted.

“She would be honored.”

Merlin handed Faith to Morgana. Joy handed Ethan to Merlin. Merlin sat next to Morgana and handed Ethan to her. Merlin helped Morgana hold the babies. Joy and Hope sat next to them and admired their siblings. A few minutes later, Merlin sighed.

“It’s time for two girls to go to bed.” Merlin said. Merlin took the girls to the tunnel and laid them down in bed. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow, you will have to watch the twins.”

“Yes, daddy.” Joy answered. The girls went to sleep. Merlin went out and saw that Morgana was feeding Ethan. Faith was next to her sleeping. Merlin picked her up and held her.

“How long till the cuff is dissolved?” Morgana asked.

“Sadly, another year.” Merlin sighed.

“What if you were to use your magic?”

“It would only make the cuff grow. I tried already.”

The next day, Merlin and Morgana were taken out of the pit and tortured.

“Break his legs.” The Sarrum yelled. Merlin’s legs were broken but he didn’t react.

“I bet you want me to stand up.” Merlin hissed. He stood up. The Sarrum whipped Merlin’s legs but he didn’t fall. “All of your torture has only made me stronger.”

The Sarrum pushed Merlin up against the wall.

“Then I will make you weaker. Take her to the pit. We’ll spend all of today and tomorrow breaking him again and again.” The Sarrum said. Morgana was taken away. When she got to the pit, she opened the tunnel and saw the girls.

“Where’s daddy?” Joy asked.

“They’re torturing him.” Morgana answered.

“Will he be alright?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

Hope and Joy sat on Morgana’s lap and cried. Morgana hugged them and cried with them. That night, she let the girls sleep next to her. Meanwhile, Merlin had been drugged and was being tortured heavily. He was covered in blood and wounds. He laid on the ground curled up in a ball panting.

“In pain already. We’ve only gotten started.” Gideon hissed. Merlin groaned as he was tortured again. The next evening, Merlin was thrown into the pit. Morgana was waiting for him.

“The girls are sleeping. They were so terrified, Merlin.” Morgana whispered.

“I know.” Merlin rasped. “Can I see them?”

“Sure.”

Morgana opened the tunnels and the girls ran to Merlin.

 

“Daddy, are you alright?” Joy asked.

“No, but I will be.” Merlin panted. Morgana made the bed and made Merlin comfortable. A few months later, Merlin and Morgana tried to have another baby. Merlin’s cuff was almost dissolved. 5 months later, the 6 were eating. Morgana groaned as she felt something kick.

“Yeah. Mummy’s having another baby.” Joy exclaimed. Merlin chuckled slightly as he put his hand on Morgana’s stomach.

“I guess so.” Merlin sighed.

“Daddy, look at you hand.”

Merlin looked and saw that the cuff as gone.

“I have my magic back.” Merlin gasped. “We can leave.”

Everyone was happy. Then David came down.

“I’ve brought food and water.” David said.

“Thank you. We’ll need it. I have my magic back. We can leave.” Merlin answered.

“Good. All the men are sleeping. Let’s go”

“Morgana, kids, let’s get packed.”

The brought a couple of blankets and all the food and water they had. They escaped. They didn’t know that someone saw them.

“Sound the alarm. The prisoners are escaping.” A man shouted.

“Oh no.” Morgana gasped. Merlin looked around.

“Go. I’ll protect you.” David exclaimed.

“Are you sure? They’ll kill you.” Merlin answered.

“If I die, then it means that I have lived. Now, go. Protect your family.”

The family ran as fast as they could. When they got to a field, Merlin stopped them.

“What are you doing? They’ll find us?” Morgana exclaimed.

“You’ll see.” Merlin answered. They he chanted a spell. He looked up and soon a dragon appeared.

“A dragon.”

“Kilgarrah.”

Kilgarrah landed.

“Merlin, it is good to see you after so many years.” Kilgarrah greeted.

“It’s been three long years.” Merlin answered.

“You have changed destiny. Morgana is no longer a force for evil. She is now a force for good.”

“You said that she was the darkness to my light. The hatred to my love. Then that could also mean that I’m the light to her darkness and the love to her hatred.”

“Why have you summoned me?”

“The Sarrum’s men are following us. Can you help us?”

“Run to Camelot and leave the rest to men. They are coming. You will know when I am done.”

“Thank you.”

The six ran. Then they heard men scream and Kilgarrah roar. Then complete silence.

“He’s done. He’s saved us.” Merlin gasped. They walked till dawn. Then they stopped.

“Merlin, there’s a village.” Morgana panted.

“The two girls have clothes, but you and I need new ones. So, do the twins.”

Merlin used his magic. A dressed appeared in his hands. Morgana took it.

“It’s beautiful.” Morgana gasped. Then Merlin held out a ring and got on one knee.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes. Of course, I will.”

Merlin put the ring on Morgana’s finger and they kissed.

“Put the dress on.” Merlin answered. Morgana put it on. Merlin used his magic again and his clothes appeared. He got dressed. “I have enough money for a horse and small wagon.”

“Shouldn’t we get married?”

“Yes.”

They went to the village and found someone to marry them. When Morgana and Merlin were married, they got what they needed. Merlin saw a man and looked at his family.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Merlin warned. Morgana nodded. Merlin went to the man. “I am looking for a horse and a wagon.”

“Then you’ve come to the right man. I have two horses and sadly only one wagon.” The man answered.

“How much?”

“As much as you can pay.”

Merlin handed him a small bag of coins. The man looked in it.

“This will be plenty. You may have it.” The man said. Merlin took the horse and wagon.

“The kids can get in with the supplies.” Merlin said.

“Thank you, Merlin.”  Morgana answered.

“Let’s get some cloaks for the five of you.”

“Ok.”

They saw a woman selling cloaks.

“Ok, kids. Pick out a cloak.” Merlin said. Joy saw a purple one.

“I want this one.” Joy gasped.

“Try it on.”

Joy put it on and giggled.

“That will be 5 gold coins.” The woman warned.

“This one.” Hope exclaimed as she grabbed a yellow one.

“Ok.” Merlin replied. Hope laughed as Morgana helped her put it on.

“Both of you look like princesses.” Morgana chuckled. Ethan pointed at a blue one. Merlin smiled and put it on Ethan.

“There. Now you look like a druid.”

Morgana picked up Faith who had her eye on a pink and orange cloak. Morgana saw what Faith was looking at and smiled. She picked up the cloak.

“Do you want it?” Morgana asked. Faith nodded, and Morgana put the cloak on her.

“Love, I found a green one for you.” Merlin said. Morgana turned around and smiled.

“It’s beautiful.”

Merlin helped Morgana put it on. Then he turned to the woman.

“How much?” Merlin asked.

“Merlin, you didn’t get one. If those men find us. They’ll know it’s you.” Morgana whispered.

“Fine.”

“How about the blue one?”

“Ok.”

Morgana grabbed the blue one.

“How much do I owe you?” Merlin wondered.

“30 gold coins.” The woman answered. Merlin handed her 30. “Thank you.”

The family left. They went to the woods and walked. Morgana walked next to Merlin while the kids slept in the wagon.

“How long till we reach Camelot?” Morgana wondered.

“We’ll be there tomorrow night.” Merlin sighed.

“Ok.”

“Go rest with the kids. You look like you need it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Ok.”

That night, Joy woke up and yawned.

“Are we home yet?” Joy asked.

“Not yet.” Merlin answered.

“How long?”

“We’ll be home soon.”

“Merlin, we should eat. All of us are hungry.”

“Ok.”

They stopped and ate dinner. When they were done, they tried to rest.

“All of you should get in the wagon.” Merlin said.

“Merlin, you should rest.” Morgana warned.

“I will.”

“When we get to Camelot.”

“Yes. I can wait till then.”

“Are you using your magic?”

“No. Of course not.”

Morgana glared at Merlin.

“Ok. I am but I won’t rest till we are safe in Camelot.” Merlin said.

“When we get to Camelot, promise me that you’ll rest.” Morgana replied.

“I promise.”

Morgana got in the wagon with the kids and fell asleep. Merlin lead the horse to Camelot. By evening the next day, they were on a hill that overlooked Camelot. Merlin stopped the wagon.

“What’s wrong?” Morgana asked.

“Nothing. Look.” Merlin gasped. Everyone looked and saw Camelot. “We are almost home.”

“Is that home?” Hope asked.

“Yes. That is home.”

That night, they arrived at the gates of Camelot. Morgana walked next to Merlin. Everyone had their cloaks on.

“Stop. Who are you?” The guard asked.

“Please. We need to see a physician. We are all weak and wounded. My children are exhausted from walking. My wife is wounded and ill. She is also pregnant, and I am half dead.” Merlin moaned.

“You may go.”

“Thank you.”

They walked into Camelot.  They stopped in the citadel. Merlin and Morgana woke the kids.

“Time to see your new home.” Merlin whispered. They walked into the castle and went to Gaius’ chamber. They saw that a light was on. Merlin knocked on the door. Gaius opened the door and was shocked. Gaius hugged Merlin.

“Merlin, we thought you were dead.” Gaius gasped.

“I know.” Merlin answered. They pulled away. “Can we come in?”

“Yes, of course.”

They went in and closed the door.

“Sit down. Tell me everything.” Gaius said. They sat down. Merlin explained everything. When he was done, Gaius sighed. “Let me treat your wounds. How did you walk on barely healed legs?”

“Determination.” Merlin sighed.

“And a lot of it. It seems. Go to bed. The children will have to sleep on the floor.”

They went to bed. Gaius treated their wounds. Then they all went to sleep.

TBC

**I know this is a very long chapter but when I started, I couldn’t stop. I guess whenever I’m doing a Merlin story I should listen to their soundtrack more often.**


	6. Chapter 6

**_ Darkness pt.6 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. Thank you everyone for liking and following this story. As you have probably guessed, we are nearing the end of this story so please vote in my mergana poll as soon as possible. Remember, if you are on AO3, message me that you want to be a part of the poll and I will send you the info. The Kindness of Strangers is still in the lead.**

The next morning, Joy woke up and looked around her. She saw her parents in bed sleeping. She got up and kissed their cheeks. Then she went downstairs and saw Gaius sleeping. She went to him and tapped his shoulder. Gaius stirred and opened his eyes.

“What are you doing up so early?” Gaius asked.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Joy answered.

“Well, I guess you can help me make breakfast.”

“Yay.”

Gaius got up and Joy helped him make breakfast. When breakfast was ready, Hope came out and yawned.

“Come sit down and eat your breakfast.” Gaius said. Hope sat next to Joy, and they ate breakfast. Gaius grabbed his medicine bag.

“What’s that?” Joy asked.

“This is my medicine bag. In it there are many different kinds of medicines. I use it to treat people.”

“Who are you going to help?”

“Your parents.”

Gaius went to the small bedroom and gently shook Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin didn’t stir but Morgana did.

“Gaius, he won’t wake. He pushed himself too far the past few days.” Morgana whispered.

“How do you feel?” Gaius asked.

“Better. Is he alright?”

Gaius sighed and looked at Merlin’s wounds.

“Sadly, no. He’s only gotten worse. You should rest.” Gaius suggested.

“Where are the girls?” Morgana wondered.

“Eating breakfast.”

“Good.”

Morgana laid down and went to sleep. Gaius did what he could for the two. When he was done, he went back to the main room. He set his bag on the table.

“When you are done eating, you can stack the bowls on the center of the table. I’ll be right back.” Gaius said. Gaius left the room. Joy saw his bag.

“Oh no, he forgot his bag.” Joy gasped. She grabbed the bag and followed Gaius. Gaius went to Arthur’s chamber. He knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Arthur said. Gaius went in and saw Gwen and Arthur talking. “Gaius, is something wrong?”

“Arthur, it’s Merlin.” Gaius answered.

“What about him?”

Then Joy came in.

“Gaius, you forgot your bag.” Joy panted.

“Joy, you shouldn’t be here. Your parents will not be happy.” Gaius replied.

“Oh, I didn’t think about that.”

Gwen went to Joy.

“Who are you?” Joy asked.

“My name is Gwen. I’m the queen.” Gwen greeted.

“Gaius, what did you need to tell me?” Arthur questioned.

“Look at Joy. Look at her closely. Who does she look like?” Gaius answered.  Gwen and Arthur looked at her.

“She looks like Merlin.”

“But that’s impossible. Merlin died more than three years ago.” Gwen gasped.

“No. Daddy alive. He’s sleeping.” Joy answered.

“The Sarrum lied about Merlin’s death. Joy is Merlin’s daughter.” Gaius explained.

“How old are you?” Arthur asked.

“Nearly 3.” Joy mumbled.

“Arthur, she looks like Morgana. She has Morgana’s eyes and voice.” Gwen realized.

“She’s my mummy.”

“Merlin was captured by the Sarrum. He tortured Morgana and Merlin. There they had four beautiful children. Soon to be five.” Gaius explained.

“Can we see him?” Gwen asked.

“Yes.”

They went to Gaius’ chamber. When they went in, Morgana was holding Faith.

“Joy, where have you been?” Morgana questioned. ” You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, mummy.” Joy mumbled.

“She thought that I had forgotten my bag.” Gaius defended.

“Can you go make up your bed?” Morgana sighed.

“Yes, mummy.” Joy mumbled. She went upstairs. Morgana saw Arthur and Gwen.

“Gaius, what are they doing here?”

“They came to see Merlin.” Gaius replied.

“He’s still asleep.” Morgana stated.

“I know.”

“What are you doing here?” Arthur asked.

“She’s here because she’s my wife.” Merlin mumbled as he came in. He went to Morgana and they kissed.

“You should be in bed.” Morgana whispered.

“I know but the prat woke me up.”

“You’re alive.” Gwen gasped. She ran to Merlin and hugged him. Merlin groaned and hugged her back. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m just covered in wounds right now.” Merlin groaned. They pulled away. Merlin and Arthur looked at each other. “It’s good to see you again.” Arthur went to Merlin and hugged him tightly. Merlin hugged back. When they pulled away, both were crying.

“Don’t ever die on me again.” Arthur ordered.

“I won’t.”

“What happened?” Gwen asked.

“Maybe we should sit down. It’s a long story.” Merlin suggested. The four sat down and talked. They told them what happened but left out Merlin’s magic.

“Both of you are so strong to have survived that.”

“We had the kids and each other. That’s how we survived.”

Merlin squeezed Morgana’s hand. They smiled at each other. Then Joy came out.

“Daddy, Hope messed up my bed.” Joy exclaimed.

“Hope, come here.” Merlin sighed. Hope came out looking at the ground. She went to Merlin. “Why did you mess up your sister’s bed?”

“Didn’t mean to.” Hope mumbled.

“But you still did it. I think you should go make up your sister’s bed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hope went back upstairs.

“Can I sit on your lap?” Joy asked.

“Sure.” Merlin replied. Joy sat on Merlin’s lap. Merlin groaned painfully.

“You should go to bed.” Morgana suggested.

“They still haven’t told us what happened.”

“When you died, we were all devastated. Gwaine was the worst. He wouldn’t leave the tavern. Eventually, Percival and I confronted him. He didn’t take it well. We had to knock him out. Now, he just sits in his room. He’s pushed everyone away. Percival, he became very quiet. He rarely talked to us. He would spend most of his time in the armory, training ground, or stables. Leon, he stopped laughing. He became very stubborn and tough. He wouldn’t react, but we knew that inside he was hurting. Elyan, he continued life, but he missed you. He would look over at the bench expecting you to tease us. Gaius became more stressed out. Gwen didn’t have the motivation to get out of bed. This morning I had to drag her out of bed.” Arthur explained.

“How about him?” Merlin asked.

“He became like he was when Agravaine was around.” Gwen answered.

“Oh boy.”

Then a guard came in.

“My lord, the Sarrum has requested and audience.” The guard said.

“We’ll be there in a minute.” Arthur answered. The guard left the room. Arthur saw the fear and strength in Merlin and Morgana’s eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him touch you.”

Arthur and Gwen stood up. Merlin followed.

“What are you doing?” Morgana asked.

“Going with them.” Merlin answered.

“No. Then he’ll know we are here.”

“He can’t hurt us anymore. Besides, it’s my duty. I am the servant of the king.”

“Be careful.”

I will.”

The two kissed. Merlin followed Gwen and Arthur to the council chambers. Everyone was already waiting. They all gasped when Merlin walked passed. Merlin took his place behind Arthur. Then the Sarrum came in. When he saw Merlin, he smirked.

“King Arthur, a pleasure it is to see you again.” The Sarrum greeted.

“Why are you here?” Arthur questioned.

“My lord, I fear there is a sorcerer in your mist.”

“Really. What proof do you have?”

“This stone. It causes pain when it is within two feet of a sorcerer. Permission to use it.”

“Permission granted.”

The Sarrum pulled out the stone. He walked around the room. When he got to Gaius. Gaius groaned slightly.

“Well well. We have one sorcerer.” The Sarrum scoffed. Then he continued. Then he approached Merlin. When he got within range, Merlin fell to the ground and screamed in pain.  “There he is. There’s the sorcerer.”

“Stop it. Get away from him.” Arthur ordered. The Sarrum did as he was told.

“My lord, he is dangerous.”

“No, he isn’t.”

Gwen went to Merlin and comforted him and shushed him.

“When you faked his death, Gaius told us of his powers. For the past three years, I have held private meetings. As of today, magic is legal. Merlin, please come here.” Arthur explained. Merlin did as he was told. When he got to Arthur, he fell to his knees. “As of today, you will no longer be my servant. You will know be the court warlock and a lord of Camelot. Do you accept?” Merlin looked up happily with tears in his eyes.

“Yes. I accept.” Merlin gasped. Arthur helped Merlin up.

“DO you want the honors?”

“Guards, arrest this man.”

The guards arrested the Sarrum.

“Sarrum, I find you guilt of torture in accordance with our law your punishment is death. At dawn you will be burned at the stake. Take him away.” Arthur said.

“No, you can’t do this to me.” The Sarrum yelled as he was taken away.

“I already have.”

When the Sarrum was gone, Arthur looked at Merlin who was shocked.

“Thank you.” Merlin gasped.

“It’s the least I could do. Now, I think you should go get some rest. You look like you need it.” Arthur answered. Merlin went home. When he got home, Morgana and his kids were waiting.

“What happened?” Morgana asked. Merlin sat down.

“We’re free. Arthur knew about my magic since I’ve been captured. He asked me to be court warlock. Magic is legal and the Sarrum is to be burned at dawn. We no longer live in darkness.” Merlin gasped.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“This is better than we could have dreamed.”

“Yeah. It is.”

They two hugged each other. Morgana kissed Merlin and he kissed back. When she pulled away, she rubbed his forehead.

“You should go lie down.” Morgana whispered.

“You should take a bath.” Merlin answered.

“I will when you’re awake.”

“I like that.”

Merlin went to the room. He laid down on the bed. Morgana came over and covered him up.

“Get some sleep.” Morgana whispered.

“Yes, ma’am.” Merlin mumbled. Merlin went to sleep. Gaius and Arthur came in a few minutes later.

“Where’s Merlin?” Arthur asked.

“He’s sleeping.” Morgana answered.

“Good. He needs it. It looks like you do too.”

“I can wait.”

“Morgana, you need to rest. The kids will be alright.”

“I would but the bed isn’t big enough. We were barely able to fit on it. Merlin needs to be able to lie on his back and he can’t if I’m next to him.”

“I’ll have a couple of servants come with a bigger bed.”

Arthur left the room. Several minutes later, two male servants came in with a bigger bed. Morgana went to the room and woke Merlin.

“Merlin, we have a bigger bed.” Morgana whispered. “You need to get up.”

Merlin did as he was told. When the bed was set up, Merlin and Morgana laid down. The smaller bed was put in the corner of the room.

“When they’ve recovered, they can move into their new chambers.” Arthur said.

“That would be best. Both of them are very ill.” Gaius sighed.

“Tell me if anything happens.”

Arthur left. That night, Merlin woke up screaming.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**_ Darkness pt.7 _ **

**Hello, I hope you are having a good day. I have added a new poll choice on ff.net. It is called A New Start. The Kindness of Strangers is in the lead with four votes. AO3, I will be posting a story with the poll choices so that you can choose as well. It will be called Mergana POLL. It will be posted later today. Now, on with the chapter.**

Morgana woke up and shushed Merlin. She tried to wake Merlin.

“Merlin, it’s alright. It’s alright.” Morgana exclaimed as she tried to calm Merlin. Merlin continued to thrash and scream. Then he sat up and screamed as loud as he could. Then he started panting and calming down. He looked around and saw Morgana next to him.

“Gana.” Merlin whimpered. Morgana pulled Merlin into a hug and shushed him as he cried.

“It’s alright, Merlin. Everything will be alright. What happened?”

“There was a fire. I saw the Sarrum. He had all of us even our children. He threw the kids into the fire. I watched as they were burned alive. I heard them scream. Then he threw you in. I tried to get away, but I couldn’t. The laughter, screams, and fire followed me everywhere. I was terrified.”

“Shh, it’s alright.”

Merlin cried in Morgana’s arms. Gaius came in and saw the two. He watched as the two older girls went to Merlin and Morgana and hugged them. Merlin saw them and wrapped his arms around all three girls. When Merlin had calmed down, Gaius went over.

“How do you feel?” Gaius asked.

“Not good. My whole-body aches and burns. I feel heavy. I feel so weak.” Merlin moaned.

“Lie down.”

Merlin laid down and Gaius checked him over.

“You have a high fever and your pulse is very weak. You are still very pale. Only one of your wounds are infected.” Gaius sighed.

“Why am I ill?” Merlin panted.

“I do not know. If I were you, I would try to rest.”

“I’m afraid to.”

“Do you want a sleeping draft?”

“I guess so.”

Gaius grabbed a sleeping draft and got Merlin to drink it. Merlin took a few sips and then fell asleep.

“What’s wrong with him, Gaius?” Morgana asked.

“I have to operate. He has several severe infections.” Gaius answered.

“Will he be alright?”

“Yes. I have no doubt about that.”

Gaius got what he needed.

“Come on, girls. You should be sleeping.” Morgana said. Joy and Hope went to bed. Morgana went to them and covered them up.

“What’s wrong with daddy?” Joy asked.

“He’s very ill. He’ll be fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes, now go to sleep.”

The girls went to sleep. Morgana went to Merlin and watched as Gaius removed the infections. When Gaius was done, he treated and cleaned all the wounds.

“He should stay in bed tomorrow.” Gaius suggested.

“You know he won’t be able to.” Morgana warned.

“If he does get up, he needs someone with him.”

“I’ll make sure of that.”

The next morning, Merlin woke up and saw Morgana cleaning up.

“What time is it?” Merlin moaned.

“It’s almost noon.” Morgana answered as she went to Merlin.

“Did we miss it?”

“Yes. He’s gone, Merlin. The Sarrum is dead.”

“Good. I need to get up.”

“No, you should lie still. Gaius had to operate last night.”

“I know. It’s getting harder for him to lie to me. I’ll be fine. I just need someone to help me.”

Then someone knocked on the door. Morgana opened the door.

“Arthur, Gwen, what are you doing here?” Morgana asked.

“We came to see you.” Gwen answered.

“Arthur, I need your help. I need to see Gwaine. I need to see all the knights.” Merlin said.

“Go with him, Arthur. I’ll stay and help Morgana with the children.”

“Alright.” Arthur sighed. He helped Merlin out of bed and the two left.

“How are you feeling?” Gwen asked.

“Better good.” Morgana answered.

“What are the children’s’ names?”

“Joy Vivienne, Hope Hunith, Ethan Balinor, and Faith Guinevere.”

“After me?”

“Yes. You were a good friend to me and you were Merlin’s first friend here.”

“I’m honored.”

“We knew you would.”

“I came to get sizes from the children. I want to make outfits for them. Since they are going to be nobles, they should have nice clothes.”

“Thank you. Merlin and I would appreciate it.”

“When I get the sizes, we can all go to the lower town and get fabric, if you want.”

“I think that would be a good idea. The kids need to get out. What about me? No one will accept me.”

“Arthur announced that you had returned and that you had changed. You are safe. If anyone hurts you, they will be flogged.”

“Ok. Let’s hurry up.”

Merlin and Arthur had reached the armory where Leon, Percival, and Elyan were. They went in and saw the three taking their armor off.

“Now, you guys could have been nice enough to put the armory back where it belongs.” Merlin teased.

“Merlin, you’re alive.” Elyan exclaimed. The two hugged.

“It’s hard to kill me.”

Leon and Percival came up. Merlin hugged them.

“We’ve missed you.” Percival said.

“I know. I’ve missed you too.” Merlin answered.

“What happened?” Leon asked.

“I’ll tell you when we see Gwaine.”

On the way, they talked.

“We heard rumors that you were here and alive, but we didn’t believe them.” Elyan said.

“I can see why.” Merlin answered.

“Then it’s true.”

“What?”

“That Morgana has returned.”

“Morgana?” Leon wondered.

“Yes, it’s true.” Merlin sighed.

“Why?”

“She’s my wife.”

When they got to Gwaine’s chambers, they knocked on the door. No one answered. Merlin opened the door. They saw Gwaine sitting at the table drinking. When Gwaine saw Merlin, he stood up.

“Are you real?” Gwaine asked.

“Yes, I’m real. I’m alive, Gwaine.” Merlin relied. The two hugged each other tightly. When they pulled away, Merlin slapped Gwaine’s shoulder. “You look horrible.”

“Well, you don’t look any better yourself. What happened?”

“Sit down. It’s a long story.”

They all sat down, and Merlin told them everything. Meanwhile, Morgana, Gwen, and the children were in the lower town.

“Mummy, look at this.” Joy gasped as she picked up some purple and red fabrics.

“They suit you.” Morgana laughed. Hope saw a yellow and green fabrics.

“Mummy, these pretty.” Hope mumbled.

“Yes, they are.”

“Daddy’s colors.” Ethan said as he pulled out a blue fabric and a red one.

“Yes, they are.” Morgana chuckled. Faith pointed at orange fabric and pink fabric.

“Do all of you have the colors you want?” Gwen asked.

“Yeah.” The kids answered. They bought the fabric. Then they went back to the castle.

“Where are we going?” Morgana wondered.

“You’ll see.” Gwen answered. They got to Morgana’s old chambers. “I was looking around and I found your old clothes. I cleaned them up and I was wondering if you would want them back.”

“Yes. Thank you, Gwen.”

“Your welcome. Now, let’s go home. We have a lot to do.”

They went home. Merlin had finished explaining everything.

“How are you even up and about?” Gwaine asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll probably pass out when I get home.” Merlin answered.

“I would like to meet your children.” Percival mumbled.

“They would like to meet all of you.”

“How about we go see them?”

“Sure.”

They went home. They went inside the chambers and saw Gwen and Morgana talking while the children were playing on the floor.

“What are you men doing?” Morgana asked when she saw them.

“They wanted to meet the children.” Merlin replied. The children came over. Joy went to Merlin and Morgana and hide behind them. Hope went to Arthur and smiled. Arthur picked her up.

“That’s Hope Hunith. She’s our second child. She’s very active and happy for a 2-year-old.” Morgana explained. “Ethan Balinor is our third. He’s about to turn one so is his twin sister Faith Guinevere.”

Ethan went to Percival.

“You big.” Ethan said. Percival picked him up.

“SO are you.” Percival teased.

“No.”

Faith went to Leon who smiled and picked her up.

“Is that Joy?” Elyan wondered when Joy moved so that she was sitting on the bench.

“Yes. This is our Joy Vivienne. She isn’t shy. She’s just afraid.” Merlin said. He put his hand on Joy’s shoulder. “It’s alright, sweetie. They won’t hurt you.” Joy shook her head and tried to hide.

“She was alright in the lower town.” Morgana answered. Merlin kneeled and looked at Joy.

“What’s wrong, Joy?”

“My head hurts.” Joy whispered. Merlin smiled sadly and pulled her close.

“Let’s get you something for that headache.” Merlin suggested. Merlin found lavender and handed it to Joy. Joy smelled the lavender and sighed. “Is that better?”

“Yeah.”

Joy went to the knights and smiled.

“Children, you’ve already met Arthur. Elyan is the knight that looks like Gwen. Percival is the knight holding Ethan. Leon is the knight holding Faith and Gwaine is the knight with dark hair.” Merlin explained.

“They all look like the two of you.” Gwaine said.

“Yes, they do, and they make us very proud. Morgana is pregnant with our fifth child.”

“Fifth?” Elyan wondered.

“Yes, I’m about 25 weeks.” Morgana replied.

“So am I.” Gwen gasped.

“You’re pregnant?”

“Yes. I didn’t know till last week.”

“So, am I going to be a father?” Arthur asked as he went to Gwen and kissed her.

“Yes, it does.” Gwen replied. Merlin groaned and sat down.

“I think I may have pushed myself too far.” Merlin groaned. Morgana put her hand on his forehead.

“Yes, you did. Go lie down in bed.” Morgana sighed.

“Only if you come with me.”

“I have to watch the children.”

“We can watch them.” Gwen suggested. “Both of you need to rest.”

“Ok. Are you sure?” Morgana wondered.

“Yes. We can handle it.”

Merlin and Morgana went to their bedroom and slept on the bed. Joy went to the stairs.

“Where are you going, Joy?” Gwaine asked.

“I want to be with mummy and daddy.” Joy answered.

“Ok. Just be very quiet.”

“I will.”

Joy went upstairs and laid down on the bed between her parents. The two opened their eyes and smiled when they saw Joy. The three went to sleep. An hour later, Gaius came in.

“What are all of you doing here?” Gaius asked.

“We came to see the children. Merlin, Morgana, and Joy are sleeping.” Gwen answered.

“I should go check on them.”

Gaius went upstairs and check on Merlin and Morgana. He was happy that both were getting better.

“They’re recovering.” Gaius said as he came back downstairs.

“Good.” Arthur sighed. Hope went to Gaius’ bed and laid down.

“What’s wrong with Hope?” Percival wondered.

“The children have spent their lives living in a pit. Now, they can run and play. They will get very tired very quickly.” Gaius explained. “The twins should take a nap as well.”

The three children were put on Gaius’ bed and took a nap. A few hours later, Merlin woke up and saw that Morgana was sweating heavily.

“Gaius, something’s wrong with Morgana?” Merlin exclaimed. Gaius came in and checked over Morgana. Merlin tried to wake her. “She won’t wake. What’s wrong with her?”

“A few hours ago, she was fine. I don’t understand. She has a fever, but I can’t find anything wrong with her?” Gaius answered.

“What about the baby?”

“No. It’s fine. Keep trying to wake her.”

Gaius left the room. Merlin shook Morgana. Morgana moaned. Merlin gasped and kissed Morgana.

“Merlin, why did you wake me?” Morgana moaned.

“You’re ill. You wouldn’t wake.” Merlin answered. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“I won’t.”

They kissed.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**_ Darkness pt.8 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day. Thank you everyone for commenting, liking, and following this story. Thank you everyone on both websites for voting in my mergana poll. It means a lot and I hope that you will continue to vote. If you have not voted, I ask that you do so now. On ff.net, you can go onto my profile and it’s at the top. If you are on AO3, go to the story Mergana POLL and vote three stories.**

Over the next few weeks, Merlin and Morgana’s health would get better then get worse. Finally, they were able to move into their new chambers. Everyone helped them get settled. One night, everyone gathered in their chambers for a party.

“We all brought gifts for you.” Gwen said handing them a box.

“What’s in it?” Merlin asked.

“Open it.”

Merlin and Morgana opened it and saw clothes for the children. The children came over and took their clothes and admired them.

“These are beautiful. Thank you, Gwen.” Merlin thanked.

“It’s the least I could do.” Gwen answered.

“Here, open my gift.” Percival suggested.  He handed Morgana and Merlin a box. Merlin and Morgana opened it. There were wooden animals inside and a plaque. “I made wooden animals for each child and one for your unborn child. I hope you like them.”

“Percival, we love them.” Morgana replied. “Thank you.”

Joy took the wooden lioness and smiled.

“It’s beautiful.” Joy gasped. Hope took her wooden horse and hugged Percival. Ethan took the wooden bear and admired it. Faith took the wooden deer and giggled. Merlin pulled out the plaque. He smiled at what it said.

“’Family is more than just blood relatives, it’s people who stick by each other in the darkness and are stronger once the light has come.’ Thank you, Percival.” Merlin thanked.

“Your welcome.” Percival replied. Gwaine gave them a box full of cups, plates, and silverware.

“Thank you, Gwaine. We will need these.”

“Knew you would.” Gwaine answered. “The cups have the children’s name on them.”

“Now, there’ll be no more fighting over cups.” Morgana exclaimed. The kids cheered. Gaius gave them a kit of first aid supplies.

“You never know when you may need those. Children are known for getting hurt vey quickly.” Gaius warned.

“Or someone who has the mind of a child.” Arthur teased.

“Hey, I’m not that bad.” Merlin answered. Leon gave the children wooden weapons.

“Every child should know how to defend themselves. Ethan has a wooden sword and the girls have wooden daggers. I hope it’s alright.” Leon explained.

“Yes, it’s alright. Just as long as they use them for practice and not toys to fight with.” Merlin warned. The children nodded. Elyan gave them toys to play with. Arthur gave them bedding and shoes.

“Thank you, everyone. This means a lot to us. Children, what do you say?” Morgana thanked.

“Thank you.” The children chanted. That night, Merlin and Morgana were in bed talking.

“This is much better than anything I have ever dreamed of. I’m married to the man of my dreams, I have four almost five wonderful children, and I’m free. We’re free.” Morgana whispered.

“AT last. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a beautiful wife but I’m glad I did it. I love you so much.” Merlin replied. The two kissed passionately. When they pulled away, Merlin kissed Morgana’s forehead.

“I love you too.”

“Let’s get some sleep.”

A few months later, Gwen gave birth to their son Tom while Morgana gave birth to Timothy. Everyone celebrated the birth of these two boys. Life was almost perfect for the family. Everyone was happy and free.

THE END

**I hope you have liked this story. I am giving all of you 2 to 3 days to vote. I’m writing two stories a day and I have 6 other stories, so I will be posting the new story possibly Thursday or Friday. Hopefully sooner. Pray that I don’t get distracted. I want to thank you again for liking, commenting, and following this story. It has meant a lot and seeing how everyone is responding to the mergana poll is very encouraging. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU EVERYONE.**


	9. Author's Note

**_ Author’s Note _ **

**The results are in. Thank you everyone for voting. I will start writing the new story as soon as possible. The winner is The Nightmare Begins with 9 votes. Here are the results of the others.**

**Second is Modern AU Mergana**

**Third- The Kindness of Strangers and Lancelot and Guinevere**

**Fourth- the Hollow Queen**

**Fifth- Diamond of the day and New Start**

**Last place is Diamond of the Day pt.1**

**_Thank you everyone for voting. I will start writing The nightmare begins. I will remove it as a poll choice and you can continue voting for the other ones. Remember of ff, you can go to my profile and vote there. On AO3 you can go to my story Mergana POLL and continue voting. I am now allowing you to vote four choices._ **


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